Electrical connector assemblies used in automotive and other applications often employ a large number of terminals and therefore require a large mating force to ensure a secure connection between the male and female connectors. Significant frictional forces from the terminals and housings must be overcome to properly join the connectors. Similarly, in order to properly function in the environment for which they were created, the male and female connectors must be secured to ensure the electrical connection does not become disengaged, thereby opening the electrical circuit.
Conventional electrical connectors have employed locking devices consisting of screws, springs, detents, clasps, bayonet mechanisms, and other means to assist in securing electrical connectors and preventing accidental uncoupling. However, many of these locking means have been unwieldy and often physically extend beyond the primary geometric bounds of the electrical connector package. The large geometry of previous connectors have prevented their use in constrained spaces.
While methods of securing electrical connectors have been employed in the past, problems occur when the connectors are not properly aligned prior to applying the mating force, or when the connectors become misaligned as the mating force is applied, or when the connector locking mechanism is not properly secured. This can result from improper initial alignment of the connectors, as well as misalignment due to a fluctuating or an inconsistent applied force that results in skewing or otherwise improper closing of the locking mechanism. Prior attempts to overcome these challenges have fallen short in suitably addressing both concerns simultaneously. That is, there is a lack of a suitable locking mechanism that may be used to securely fasten an electrical connector assembly employing large mating forces while preventing unintentional separation of the assembly.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,997,321 appears to disclose an electrical connector with a C-shaped lever that is pivotally mounted at opposite sides of the connector body on a common axis. An operating member links the arms for arcuate movement, and the operating member and body have a releasable flexible latch that may be engaged to hold the operating member at one end of arcuate travel. A support member is adapted to prevent the lever from flexing that could cause the latch to inadvertently release. However, the '321 patent requires an arc-shaped inclining face that corresponds closely to the locking mechanism path of movement to actuate the locking mechanism. Additionally, the '321 patent fails to disclose a lever latch that operates and is housed within the geometrical projection of the operating member that suitably aligns the entire connector assembly during the mating action. The locking mechanism disclosed in the '321 patent employs a physical package that extends well-beyond the geometry of the connector itself. Further, the '321 patent fails to disclose a connector lock mechanism that secures the electrical connection while simultaneously guarding against actuation of the cam mechanism when the connector is not properly mated.
Additionally, U.S. Pat. No. 5,637,003 appears to disclose an electrical lever style connector employing fixing shafts on both lateral sides of one connector and a pivoting retaining lever on the other half of the connector. The retaining lever has curved rails on the front end. When the fixed shaft connector is inserted into the retaining lever connector, shaft portions of the fixing shafts abut the rails to produce resisting forces that cause the rails to pivot about the fixing shafts. A lever lock includes an elastically deformable lock plate that extends up from the outer surface of the housing. The lever lock has side walls that span an elastic lock plate. However, the '003 patent fails to disclose a lever lock that operates within the geometrical projection of a cover housing. Additionally, the '003 patent fails to disclose an operating member that aligns the connector assembly during mating while preventing actuation of the cam mechanism when the connector is not properly aligned.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,609,494 and 5,611,703 are two similar examples of electrical connector assemblies that appear to employ a camming system for mating and unmating a pair of electrical connectors.
The '703 patent discloses an engagement shaft formed on one of the connector halves and a retaining lever mounted on the opposite half for pivotal movement about a support shaft. The retaining lever is pivotally moved about the support shaft to force the engagement shaft in the fitting groove, thereby joining the connectors. A lock portion is formed on the front surface of the retaining lever, and a lock arm engages the opposite connector. In the '703 patent, the lock portion of the retaining lever has a long portion extending generally in the direction of pivotal movement of the retaining lever, and a slanting slide surface gently slanting upward and inward from an outer end of the long portion. The lock arm retaining piece portion of the lock arm has a long portion extending parallel to the fitting direction of the connectors and an outer edge at a lower end of the long portion of the lock arm retaining piece portion. The '703 patent discloses that when an impact force is accidentally applied to the retaining lever, the lock engagement is released to relieve the impact force, so that damage does not occur to the constituent parts. Yet the '703 patent fails to disclose an electrical connector with a secure lever lock mechanism that may withstand accidental impacts without disengaging and thereby opening the electrical circuit. Nor does the '703 patent disclose a lever lock assembly that is housed within the geometrical projection of a cover housing operating member that aligns the connector assembly during mating while preventing actuation of the cam mechanism when the connector is not properly aligned.
Similarly, the '494 patent discloses a lever locking mechanism that is engaged by moving a horizontal rod portion of an operation lever against the elastic force of a coil spring and by pressing the lever horizontal rod portion against a flexible locking portion to engage tapered guiding surfaces against locking projections. However, the '494 patent fails to disclose a lever lock that operates within the geometrical projection of a cover housing operating member that aligns the connector assembly during mating while preventing actuation of the cam mechanism when the connector is not properly aligned.
None of the previous electrical connector lever lock assemblies allow the use of large mating forces required to properly join male and female multi-pin connector structures while adequately preventing the unintentional release of the lever lock connector and providing a lever locking mechanism that operates within the geometric projection of the cover housing used to actuate proper connection of the halves of the electrical connector assembly to provide an efficient and reliable means of mating and locking the connector assembly.
What is needed is a new type of electrical connector lever lock assembly that permits application of suitably large mating forces during the mating process while providing a secure and stable locking mechanism for the connector after the mating process is complete.